


Better Left Unsaid

by Katiedonna



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, contains spanking, rude comments, rude gestures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:29:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiedonna/pseuds/Katiedonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili learns that there are just some things one should not blurt out. He just wishes his inner voice was not so loud.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place about two years after the arrival of Smaug the dragon and the destruction of Erebor. Kili and Fili are still young and learning about the environment around them. Sometimes though it’s best not to repeat some things you hear...

He didn’t mean to say it, he only meant to think it but somehow his brain and mouth got mixed up and it just popped out. It did not matter that it was spoken in annoyance and anger, the words were said and now here he was standing in a corner he had not been in for a while thinking about the words he had said and waiting for his uncle to return. He tried to swallow but the lingering taste of soap in his mouth made him want to spit. Of course that would definitely not go over well so he forced himself to swallow and tried not to throw up.

If he had anyone to blame for his lack of proper manners, he knew it was himself. He had been taught from an early age to respect his elders and to mind what he said. There were definitely some things that one does not say especially to an elder, be it dwarf or man and in a very rare case an elf. Of course one could hardly blame him; he did pick up the saying and the gesture that accompanied it from his time spent playing in the streets as his uncle worked in the forge  shoeing horses and pounding steel into crude tools that helped the farmers  eke out a living in the unforgiving hot sun and baked clay ground.

He leaned his forehead on the cool stone. He was to set an example for his younger brother he was told. It did not do well to teach his little brother rude words and vulgar gestures. Soon enough though he knew once his uncle was finished with his work, he would feel the full force of his displeasure in a way he would not soon forget. He sighed. It had indeed been a long time since his uncle felt the need to tend to his misbehaviour. Perhaps it had been too long.

Fili sighed as he closed his eyes and the memory of the morning and his moment of poor choice flooded his memory....

******************************************************************

**_Earlier that morning:_ **

Fili had awoken to the bright sun streaming through his curtains and his little brother sitting beside him on his bed staring at him.

“What are you doing?” Fili asked with a yawn.

Kili grinned, “Waiting for you to wake up. I want to go outside but Mam says I must wait for you. Morning break of fast is on the table, and she said to tell you, to best come get it before uncle feeds it to the cats.”

Fili sat up and looked over to the bed where his brother slept. “You best make your bed before Mam sees it.”

Kili wrinkled up his nose and hopped off of Fili’s bed. “I do not see why I have to make it; I am only going to get it messed up again tonight.” He muttered as he began the task of pulling the sheets and blankets back on his bed.

Fili shook his head. “It’s a mother thing.” He replied slipping his hands behind his head and stretching.

“Is it now?” Dis asked as she walked into the room. “I am only trying to teach my sons proper manners and respect for the place they keep.”  Reaching over she gave Fili’s foot a light slap. “Now get up lazy bones,”   she remarked.

Fili grinned as he threw his covers off, stood then kissed his mother on the cheek before sauntering off behind a sheet which hung from the ceiling to the floor. Now that he was older, his uncle had put it up to section off a small part of the room to offer privacy for Fili to change. He was not sure when it started to matter but having a private place to dress made him feel better.

Sitting at the wooden kitchen table Fili grinned as his uncle patted his arm and wished him a good morning. Thorin had already finished his morning meal and was preparing for his day at the forge. Walking over to his sister he pressed some coins into her hand for the morning shopping she would be doing then looked at his nephews. “Fili, today you are responsible for your brother while your mother is gone. I will be at the forge should you need me.” He smiled as he placed a few coins into Fili’s hand. “You both may go and get some sweets down the street.”

Fili would have given the coins back if Kili had not been sitting there. He was aware of just how tight money was. With food to buy and rent to pay for the bit of land the town’s mayor allowed each of the displaced refugees of Smaug, he knew there was little left to make ends meet.

“Do not worry,” Thorin said to Fili’s unspoken concern. “It is a bit extra,” he added quietly in his ear.

“Thank you, sir.” Fili managed.

Kili bounced in his chair. “Can I hold a coin, Fili, I promise not to lose it. Mam fixed my pockets so it will not fall out.”

Fili placed one of the coins into his brother’s hand. “If you lose it, it will mean you cannot buy a sweet.”

Shoving it deep into his pocket Kili nodded. “I promise I won’t.”

“Dishes first, Dis said then you two may go out, but do not stray too far.”

Fili and Kili nodded as their mother and uncle left the house. Fili began clearing the table. “Come on pest,” he said to Kili. “Dishes come first.”

*********************************

Fili wasted no time in leading his brother into the streets where they found their friends waiting.  Of course the first thing Kili wanted to do was buy a sweet.  “The coin must be burning a hole in your pocket,” Fili teased.

Kili furrowed his brow and pulled the coin out of his pocket. “It is not hot,” he quipped making Fili laugh.  “I hope it has not wrecked my pocket, Mam would be mad.”

“I am teasing,” Fili said. “Hurry up and pick your sweet then we can go find something to do.”

Kili decided on a small bag of different taffies so he could share with his friends. Leaning against a wooden fence while he waited for Kili to hand out the sweets, Fili’s ears picked up the voices of a group of men who sat on the other side of it. It was then he wished he would have completely ignored them. Eavesdropping was never really a good thing to do, but when one is on one side of a fence and the ones doing the talking are being rather loud, it was hard not to hear everything...........

When Fili thought about it, Kili did try to stop him from confronting the men. But when a family member’s character is being trashed, it would be wrong to let it go. Well in Fili’s mind anyway.  He wasted no time in stepping around the fence and facing the men demanding that they take back their insults. It angered him that they merely laughed at him and told him to be a good dwarfling and run along and play. So instead of walking away, he had stood his ground, prepared to make sure the man knew nothing of what he talked about.

Fili wasn’t sure when his demands turned into insults. Perhaps it was because the man simply and rather noisily gulped down his ale, pointed his finger at Fili and told him exactly what he thought of the so called prince of Erebor who now spent hours in the forge day after day making what little coin he could. “It was his grandfather’s greed that got ‘ye to where ‘ye are boy,” the man smirked. He grabbed Fili by the arm and pulled him closer to him. “Greed is the downfall of all kind boy, it warps a mind it does, and then soon nothin’ matters, not even family. Tis a sad thing really my friends,” the man said with a mock frown. “To lose everything ye had all because of a shiny rock.”

Fili bristled, growled at the insult and opened his mouth to speak but the man reached over and patted the top of his head. “Now, now little one, why don’t ye be off with yer friends and play in the dirt like a good little dwarfling should.”

Glaring up at the man, Fili knocked his hand away. “Why do you not stick your finger up your arse and rotate on it” He finished the sentence off by holding up his middle finger and twisting it in small circles at the man.

Deep in his work, Thorin frowned as someone called to him. “You best get up to the end of the street Master Thorin, looks like your nephew has gotten himself into a bit of a spot.”

Thorin wasted no time in hurrying up the hill to where a crowd had gathered. As he stepped around the fence he forgot what he was going to say as he heard the filth and witnessed the rude gesture his young nephew added to emphasize the words.

“Fili!” He growled as he placed his large hand on the younglings shoulder turning him around swiftly. **_“What did you say?”_**

Fili froze as he came face to face with his irritated and no doubt disappointed uncle. Those who had gathered around the heated discussion suddenly found other things to occupy themselves with and were slowly moving away.

Thorin looked at the man. “It never ceases to amaze me how a grown man can find pleasure in teasing younglings.”

The man snorted. “I did not know yer younglings had such a temper. Do all of the wee ones use such foul language dwarf?”

Thorin took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Searching the still lingering group he found who he had been looking for and held out his hand. Darting out of the group, his youngest nephew ran to his side and grasped it.

 “Come Fili,” Thorin growled as he stepped away from the group.

“But Uncle...,” Fili began. “He...”

“Now nephew, do not keep me waiting.” Thorin warned.

Fili glared at the man before starting after his uncle.

“Yes little dwarfling, best do as ye are told, go home where yer uncle will deal with yer shameful manners.” The man smiled smartly as Fili retreated. “Master Thorin “I do hope ye will be teaching the lad some proper manners now, ye would not want him to be getting a bit too big for his breeches now.”

Fili stopped at the doorway of the small home and let Thorin pass by with Kili in tow.

 Sitting Kili on a chair, Thorin ruffled his dark unruly hair, “I want you to go to your room and play quietly. Mam should be coming home soon.”

Kili glared at his brother then frowned as he dragged his feet down the hall upset that he was no longer allowed to play outside.

Thorin sighed then looked at his oldest nephew who still stood by the front door. “Fili, go and get the bar of soap and bring it to me.”

Fili’s blue eyes widened. “The soap,” he stammered. “But uncle..., I...”

“I do not wish to hear it, Do as you are told.” Thorin growled.

Fili swallowed hard. “It is Mam’s last bar, uncle...” he said at least hoping to delay the inevitable.

“I do not intend to use all of it.” Thorin replied. “Your mother has gone shopping and will be bringing more soap home.”

Reluctantly Fili did as Thorin bid and soon found himself bent over the basin getting a good mouthful of the foul tasting lather. Choking and with tears streaming down his face he sniffed. “I am sorry uncle Thorin.”

Thorin made a deep noise in his throat then pointed to a corner of the wall in the living room. “You will go and stand in the corner until I return and think about what it is you are sorry for.”

Knowing his uncle was already at his wit’s end; Fili quickly darted into the living room and hesitated before stepping into the very familiar corner he had not been in for a long time. To his way of thinking he considered himself to be much too old to be sent to where the two walls met, He once told Kili that it was his corner now and contemplated discussing the point about age and corners to his uncle, but figured at this moment that would not be the wisest choice to make. So he settled into the corner and found the most comfortable way to stand. It was going to be a long day.

************************************* 

Fili dare not turn around when he heard his mother come in. He could not make out what Thorin told her before he left but heard her sigh and go on with her business. He was smart enough to know not to say a word.

 

To Fili it seemed like hours since he was told to stand in the corner. He could hear his mother starting supper and Kili’s non-stop chattering about what had happened as he helped to set the table.

Fili let out a soft groan wishing for his uncle to come home. But when Thorin finally came through the door, Fili found himself wishing his uncle could have been just a bit longer. He swallowed hard as his uncle hung up his coat then put away his tools.  “Dis,” Thorin said casually, “I believe I shall like to have fresh peas from the garden. Perhaps you can take Kili with you to gathers some.”

Kili’s eyes grew wide. “Mam, is uncle going to smack Fili for telling the man what he could do with his finger?”

Dis took her young son’s hand. “Come child you can help Mam in the garden. I do believe the peas will be ready and it will be good to have some for tonight’s supper.”

Fili sucked in his breath as he felt the muscles in his stomach tighten.

 “Fili, come with me.” Thorin said as he started down the hall.

Slowly turning around, he stared down the hall then made up his mind. “No sir, I will not,” he blurted out before he lost his nerve.

**_“What did you say?”_** Thorin asked his voice dangerously low and a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you see sir, I...; I am much too old to be put over your knee like an unruly dwarfling.” Kili managed.

“Are you now?” Thorin asked. “I will tell you now child, you have many a year left yet before you are considered an adult by both man and dwarven culture.”

“B...by..,” Fili cleared his throat. “By man’s account I am of age. I will be thirteen in their eyes.”

Thorin did not even give that statement a second thought. “In a man’s eye’s you are still a child, a whelp no less. I agree you have left the first stages of dwarfling hood behind and have begun the second stage. But you are still a child.”

Fili swallowed hard. “I..., I had every reason to tell that man off. He was saying rude things about Grandfather, about you.”

Thorin walked up to his nephew. “It is better to walk away from such men Fili. Lowering yourself to their standards is never a good thing. Men like them look for ways to antagonize and tease others especially when they can get pleasure out of it. Your mother has raised you better than that.” Thorin let his words sink in. “Your mother needs you to set a good example for Kili.”

Fili looked at the floor. “I am sorry uncle.”

“This is not the first time your words have gotten you into trouble, is it?” Thorin asked.

Fili cringed. He’d almost forgotten about that. The last time he had spoken rudely to another, he got a fair warning of what would happen the next time he allowed his anger to overrule his proper thinking resulting in his little inner voice becoming a very loud outer voice. “No sir,” he managed softly. But he really did hate to be taken to task in such a fashion. None the less he followed his uncle into the far bedroom where Thorin stayed. He stood before him listening to how important it was to remember to never allow himself to give into the   hateful words others say. By doing so, he had lowered himself to the same level of those who were ignorant of what had transpired in Erebor. Someday Thorin told him they would reclaim Erebor.

 

Fili knew what was expected of him and he took his breeches down to his knees. As soon as he did, Thorin wasted no time in pulling his nephew across his lap and settling him into place. Fili sucked in his breath as Thorin raised his hand and brought it down firmly onto his bared bottom. He surprised himself at his sudden yelp. It had been a long time since he found himself in this position. He had no time to think of when the last time was as a fire was ignited in his rear and steadily it grew hotter. The biting stings from his uncle’s hand had him crying out and he hated himself for it. He should be stronger. He should have been able to take the punishment. Yet here he was crying openly like Kili did when their mother attended to his misbehaviours.  Fili knew his uncle felt Kili was much too young yet to be spanked by him, too young and much too small. A small part of him felt he was too old. Yet here he was up ended and receiving a very thorough spanking.

Snuffling and hitching on his sobs, Fili found himself right side up and in his uncle’s firm embrace listening to soft, comforting words. He melted into his uncle’s arms and decided this part he was not too   old for just yet.

The End


End file.
